Bright Thought to rest sore feet, skip BC Turf

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bright Thought, the winner of the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita on Sept. 28, will miss the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.

Trainer Phil D’Amato said on Thursday that Bright Thought will be rested until the winter-spring meeting at Santa Anita and will be given a break to mend tender feet.

“I’ll give him some time and wait for the end of the year,” he said. “He’s got bad feet, and the time will help him.”

D’Amato said that Bright Thought sometimes trains and races in a three-quarter shoe to protect a sensitive area of a foot.

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“It’s been an on-again, off-again issue,” he said. “The more you let it grow out, the better.”

Bright Thought races for breeders Alex Venneri and Marjorie Post. A 5-year-old, Bright Thought has won 5 of 15 starts and earned $339,161. The John Henry Turf Championship was his first stakes win since the Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes here in March 2013, when he was trained by Jorge Gutierrez.

D’Amato has three hopefuls for the Breeders’ Cup – Big John B for the Turf, Obviously for the Mile, and Lil Bit O’Fun for the Turf Sprint.

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